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The Round Church, Cambridge

Church of the Holy Sepulchre

Cambridge, Cambridgeshire

Status: Parish church

West front of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Cambridge
Church of England
Diocese of Ely
Location
Grid reference: TL448588
Location: 52°12’30"N, -0°7’8"E
History
Norman, Gothic Revival
Information
Website: Round Church

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, generally known as The Round Church, is a remarkable mediæval church in central Cambridge, standing on the corner of Bridge Street with Round Church Street. The church is one of the oldest buildings in Cambridge, although heavily restored in the Victorian age, and is a Grade I listed building.[1]

The church is currently managed by Christian Heritage. It is one of the four mediæval round churches still in use in Britain.[2]

History

Holy Sepulchre in 1809

The church was built around 1130, its shape being inspired by the rotunda]] in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. It was built by the Fraternity of the Holy Sepulchre, who were probably a group of Austin canons. It consisted of a round nave and an ambulatory, with a short chancel, probably in the shape of an apse.[3] Initially it was a wayfarers' chapel on ancient road through Cambridge (the Roman route known as the Via Devana; now Bridge Street). By the middle of the 13th century it had become a parish church under the patronage of Barnwell Priory. Around this time structural alterations were made to the church, with the rebuilding of the chancel and the addition of a north aisle, the aisle being shorter than the chancel.[4] During the 15th century the Norman style windows in the nave were replaced by larger Gothic style windows. The carvings of angels in the roofs of the chancel and aisle were added. A polygonal bell-storey was built over the nave.[5]

In 1643, during the Civil War, many of the "idolatrous" images were destroyed.[6]

"[2 January 1644 Holy Sepulchre, in Cambridge] We break down 14 superstitious Pictures, divers Idolatrous Inscriptions, one of God the Father, one of Christ and of the Apostles." The Journal of William Dowsing 

By the 19th century the church was in a poor state of repair. Part of the ambulatory collapsed in 1841, and the Cambridge Camden Society offered to carry out repairs. They appointed Anthony Salvin for the purpose.[7]

Salvin replaced the bell-storey with a roof similar to the original roof. This was made necessary because the weight of the bell-storey was too much for the walls to support. The 15th-century Gothic windows were replaced by windows in Norman style, and a formerly-inserted gallery was removed, together with the external staircase leading to it. To compensate for this, a new south aisle was added. It was found that the east wall of the chancel was unstable and this was replaced. Then the north aisle, by that time in poor condition, was also rebuilt, extending it to the same length as the chancel. The floor, previously black marble,[8] was relaid in tile.

The erection in 1843 of a stone altar was the subject of a lawsuit. In 1845 the Court of Arches ordered that it be taken down and replaced with a wooden table.[9]

In 1866 the Cambridge Union Society built their premises in the church's former graveyard, while, in 1899, a vestry was added to the north of the north aisle; this was extended in 1980.[10] The Victorian stained glass in the east window was destroyed by a bomb in the Second World War and was replaced in 1946.[11] By 1994 the congregation had become too large for the church, and they moved their gatherings to the nearby Church of St Andrew the Great.[10]

Architecture

The church is built in stone. Its plan consists of a circular nave surrounded by an ambulatory, a chancel with north and south aisles and a north vestry.[11] Over the nave is an upper storey surmounted by a conical spire.[10] To the north of the church is an octagonal bell-turret containing two bells. The church is entered by a Norman west doorway with three orders of colonnettes, decorated with scalloped capitals and zigzags, and crenellations in the voussoirs.[12] Between the ambulatory and the nave are eight massive Norman columns and round arches. Each of the capitals of the columns is carved with a different design. Part of the vault of the ambulatory has dog-tooth ornamentation. In the ambulatory and nave are carved human heads dating from the 19th century.

Above the nave is a triforium containing double Norman arches.[13] To the east are the chancel and aisles. In the chancel and the north aisle are carved angels dating from the 15th century which are attached to the corbels supporting the roof; some of the angels are holding or playing musical instruments. The communion table dates from 1843 and was made by Joseph Wentworth.

  • Interior looking towards the altar
    Interior looking towards the altar
  • The nave (foreground) and north aisle (background right)
    The nave (foreground) and north aisle (background right)

Recent history and present day

By 1994 the congregation had grown too large to be accommodated and it moved to the nearby Church of St Andrew the Great. Holy Sepulchre is open for visitors[10] and contains an exhibition entitled The Impact of Christianity in England, and a study centre known as a scriptorium.[14] The church hosts concerts, recitals and plays, and arranges courses, summer schools, and lectures.[15][16][17]

See also

Outside links

References

 ("Wikimedia Commons" has material
about Holy Sepulchre, Cambridge Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Cambridge)
  1. ↑ National Heritage List 1126260: Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Cambridge (Grade I listing)
  2. ↑ Anon 2008, p. 3.
  3. ↑ Anon 2008, pp. 2–4.
  4. ↑ Anon 2008, p. 4.
  5. ↑ Anon 2008, pp. 5–7.
  6. ↑ Anon 2008, p. 8.
  7. ↑ Anon 2008, p. 9.
  8. ↑ Thomas Wright; Harry Longueville Jones (1841). "Parish of St Sepulchre". The universities. Le Keux's Memorials of Cambridge. 1. Tilt and Bogue, Fleet Street. https://books.google.com/books?id=x_oGAAAAQAAJ&pg=177. 
  9. ↑ Faulkner v. Litchfield and Stearn (1845) 1 Rob. Eccl. 184, 163 E.R. 1007. See also Addleshaw, G and Etchells, F, 1948. The Architectural Setting of Anglican Worship. London, Faber, p.135.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 Welcome to the Round Church (Information leaflet), Christian Heritage 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Anon 2008, pp. 12–13.
  12. ↑ Survey of Windows of the Round Church Cambridge, Christian Heritage, http://www.christianheritageuk.org.uk/Groups/2399/Home/Round_Church/Church_Building/Stained_Glass_Windows/Stained_Glass_Windows.aspx, retrieved 7 September 2010 
  13. ↑ Anon 2008, p. 12.
  14. ↑ For graduates, postgraduates and clergy, Christian Heritage, http://www.christianheritage.org.uk/Groups/3118/Home/Round_Church/Library/Library.aspx, retrieved 10 September 2010 
  15. ↑ Courses in Cambridge, Christian Heritage, http://www.christianheritage.org.uk/Groups/562/Home/Courses/Courses.aspx, retrieved 10 September 2010 
  16. ↑ Saturday School of Theology: 2010, Christian Heritage, http://www.christianheritage.org.uk/Groups/38019/Home/Courses/Saturday_School_of/Saturday_School_of.aspx, retrieved 10 September 2010 
  17. ↑ Upcoming Events, Christian Heritage, http://www.christianheritage.org.uk/Groups/91892/Home/Events/Events.aspx, retrieved 10 September 2010 
  • Anon (2008), The Round Church, Cambridge, The Parochial Church Council, Holy Sepulchre, Cambridge 
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